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A drug company that is studying a fish-oil drug announced that it will seek U.S. approval after promising clinical trial results. Amarin found that a purified form of ethyl eicosapentaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid known as ethyl EPA, reduced triglyceride levels without increasing "bad" LDL cholesterol. The drug is a potential "blockbuster" that can compete with the likes of Lipitor and Zocor, Adam Feuerstein writes.

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Britain-based AstraZeneca will acquire the U.S. fish oil drug-maker Omthera Pharmaceuticals in a transaction valued at up to $443 million. The purchase is seen as an effort by AstraZeneca to round out its cardiovascular offerings and compete with GlaxoSmithKline and others that already sell fish-oil pharmaceuticals. Omthera's Epanova, a mixture of fish-oil-derived fatty acids, should be submitted for U.S. regulatory approval mid-year, according to this article.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found similar outcomes in the intelligence tests of 154 children whose mothers were randomized to take fish-oil supplements, folate, fish oil plus folate or a placebo during the second half of their pregnancy. However, researchers said that children whose mothers had high docosahexaenoic acid levels regardless of whether they took fish-oil pills during their pregnancy scored higher than average on intelligence tests at age 6.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found similar outcomes in the intelligence tests of 154 children whose mothers were randomized to take fish-oil supplements, folate, fish oil plus folate or a placebo during the second half of their pregnancy. However, researchers said that children whose mothers had high docosahexaenoic acid levels regardless of whether they took fish-oil pills during their pregnancy scored higher than average on intelligence tests at age 6.

Replenish Bottling, along with Nypro and its product-development arm, have formed a joint venture with Eastman Chemical to develop a reusable-bottle system for liquid concentrates. The goal is to supply the bottle system to companies that manufacture cleaning products. "What we're doing with Nypro is taking their scale and worldwide manufacturing capabilities and bringing these bottles to brands," said Jason Foster, founder and CEO of Replenish Bottling.

A study says that cakes made with liquid shortening showed improved quality over those made with plastic shortening. "Many companies began to use the relatively inexpensive palm oil instead of hydrogenated soybean oil to make zero-trans-fat shortenings," said the authors of the study. "... For baking companies, a liquid oil plus an emulsifier combination blend would be easy to handle, and they could combine different emulsifiers as their requirements change."